Peace and Nonviolent Beliefs of Mahatma Gandhi
Nikki Henkell
WOH1030 - Summer 2014-B
Prof. Forsythe
Mahatma Gandhi, compared to a saint and even an Indian Christ (Blanchot, M. 2012), believed in nonviolence and the practice of Ahimsa, which means love (Gandhi). Ahimsa believes in doing no harm to any living creature, either to the physical body and to the mind. “Ahimsa requires deliberate self-suffering, not a deliberate injuring of the supposed wrong-doer.” (Gandhi). In 1999 Time Magazine conducted a survey about who their readers considered “the Man of the Twentieth Century,” and although Gandhi came in a close second behind Albert Einstein he was still one of the greatest men of the twentieth century. Gandhi’s teachings changed the way people around the world though, it opened them up to a moral-political world. His ability to overcome the British and win independence for India, all with nonviolent resistance, continue to be an inspiration to people around the world even years after his death (Prabhu, J. 2001). Mahatma Gandhi inspired many people and leaders throughout the world. Great leaders, including the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., have all spoken about how Gandhi influenced them and their fight for peace and equality. The Dalai Lama won a Nobel Peace Prize for his Middle Way Approach when seeking a way for Tibet to have more independence from China. When he accepted his award in 1989, part of his speech was “I accept
 Gandhi was an influential figure in our society. He taught many people about equal rights, honouring
Gandhi, King, and Mandela each fought for their causes with a method that was very rarely used but even less rarely successful. Their efforts at peaceful protest without retaliation to attacks were successful in overthrowing trans-continental rule and ending segregation of races. Gandhi transformed the idea of non-violence into a way to fight for freedom and justice which would ultimately end in success and
Mohandas Gandhi was born in 1869 in the Indian coastal city of Porbandar (Background Essay). He then studied law in London, where he noticed that Indians were expected to imitate their rulers, the Englishmen (Background Essay). Gandhi wanted all people to live free, even those imposed by India’s caste system so he decided to take action in a peaceful manner (Background Essay). By doing so he was able to gain India’s independence in 1947 (Background Essay). This caused Gandhi to be known as “ Mahatma” or “ Great Soul” because he was able to do it without violence (Background Essay). Gandhi’s nonviolent movement worked because he accepted the consequences to his actions, strived for fairness to all mankind, and didn’t think of the British as enemies.
Thesis Statement: Mahatma Gandhi is a trailblazer for change thru nonviolent resistance and compassion for others, even for his oppressors, that
Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist and writer who would lead the independence movement of India to free the country of British rule (“Mahatma Gandhi,” 2017). He would prove that a single person could change the course of history and take on the entire British Empire. Gandhi’s principles of nonviolence and civil disobedience are attributed to his success in gaining independence for India. The act of passive resistance allowed Gandhi to generate more support for his movement for independence while making it difficult for the British to find reasons to arrest them. He argued that although violence could be more effective than peaceful
Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi was a spiritual leader from India. Dr. King was inspired by Gandhi after hearing a delivery by Dr. Mordecai Johnson president of Howard University. His words about Gandhi inspired King to want to learn more about him. He purchased all the books he could find and grew more passionately about Gandhi’s beliefs. Gandhi believed in non-violence. Gandhi tested various methods of non-violence. He felt that having high standards and morals did not make one weak. Gandhi felt that good should prevail over evil.
“If you make laws to keep us suppressed in a wrongful manner and without taking us into confidence, these laws will merely adorn the statue books. We will never obey them”(1). Mohandas Gandhi expressed this in his writing “On Nonviolent Resistance”. “Civil disobedience” is when people use their voice by protesting, non-violently, to stick up against unjust laws and unjust movements. The truths and values are proven and brought to attention in the writings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Henry David Thoreau. Civil disobedience can be the solution to unjust laws and violence around the world.
Mahatma Gandhi, or “the great-souled one” as called by many of his followers was a leading figure in the fight for India’s independence, but he also was an advocate for world peace, showing his devotion with many “hunger strikes” (History.com staff, 2010). One of his greatest quotes, “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive” shows the biggest fault of cultural inequality. This displays to me that people cannot work together while refusing to accept others.
Mahatma Gandhi is renowned all over the world for his nonviolent philosophies and impact upon civil rights. He was the primary leader of India’s move towards independence. Gandhi engineered a form of non-violent protest that would influence the world. He was born on 2nd October, 1869, in Porbandar, India. Gandhi studied law and advocated for the civil rights of Indians, and influenced many civil rights movements. Even after his death, Gandhi’s actions inspired future civil rights movements around the globe. He most notably impacted, civil rights movements in three regions of the world; South Africa, India and America.
Mohandas Gandhi brought positive change to India without using violence. He once said, “There are two ways of countering injustice.
He believed that truth and nonviolence, above all were of the highest value. Raghavan Iyer, in discussing the writings of Gandhi states “Gandhi teaches that Truth is God, and that it is our sacred duty to seek it. If Truth was to Gandhi the Ultimate End, then ahimsa (nonviolence) was the perfect means of attaining that end.” Gandhi truly believed that the greatest power that any individual has is the power of non-violence.
Aroused by the massacre of Amritsar in 1919, Gandhi devoted his life to gaining India’s independence from Great Britain. As the dominant figure used his persuasive philosophy of non-violent confrontation, he inspired political activists with many persuasions throughout the world (Andrews 23). Not only was Mahatma Gandhi a great peacemaker, but also his work to achieve freedom and equality for all people was greatly acknowledged. Gandhi’s unconventional style of leadership gained him the love of a country and eventually enabled him to lead the independence movement in India.
The works of The XIV Dalai Lama did not go unnoticed. In 1989 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for consistently championing policies of nonviolence and human rights in his own beleaguered country as well as in other strife-torn areas of the world. He is the first Nobel Laureate to be recognized for his concerns for global environmental problems. The Dalai Lama in his struggle for the liberation of Tibet consistently has opposed the use of violence. He has instead advocated peaceful solutions based upon tolerance and mutual respect in order to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of his people. His holiness, accepting the Nobel peace
The twentieth century was a time of new perspectives and challenging authority. Many individuals began experimenting and innovating in an attempt to change the status quo. Two famous individuals of the time period were the physicist Albert Einstein and the activist Mahatma Gandhi. At first glance, the highly logical scientist Albert Einstein and the spiritual, political activist Mahatma Gandhi do not appear to have a great deal in common, but a deeper study of their personal lives and accomplishments reveal the two are far more similar than they are different. Einstein and Gandhi were both creative individuals who revolutionized their respective domains, display the influence of childhood and the child-like mind, and could charm the masses despite difficulties in maintaining close relationships.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being". The book The Essential Gandhi expresses Gandhi’s views on issues like untouchability, religion, nationality, his movements like civil-disobedience are deeply shown in this book. Readers can learn about Gandhi’s childhood, his early married life, his realization and transition in South Africa, and his ways of approach towards attaining Independence in India. The book did a fantastic job in showing the Gandhi’s principles like non-violence with exemplary contexts.